WORLD / Health
WHO warns against water-pipe smoking
(AP)
Updated: 2007-05-30 11:41
GENEVA - Water-pipe smoking may pose the same health risks as cigarettes,
the World Health Organization said Tuesday, adding that more scientific
research was needed into the link between hookah use and a number of
fatal illnesses.
A model poses with a 'hookah', a traditional smoking pipe as she walks
the ramp displaying the creations by the NIFT graduating student's
fashion show in Calcutta, India, Saturday, May 26, 2007. [AP]
"Using a water pipe to smoke tobacco is not a safe alternative to
cigarette smoking," the UN health agency said in a seven-page document on
the practice. "Contrary to ancient lore and popular belief, the smoke
that emerges from a water pipe contains numerous toxicants known to cause
lung cancer, heart disease and other diseases."
The WHO "advisory note" warned that using water pipes to consume the
tobacco, which is commonly a mixed with molasses and fruit flavors,
usually exposes a person to more smoke over a longer period of time than
do cigarettes. Preliminary research indicates that hookah smoking poses
many of the same dangers as cigarettes and may involve "some unique
health risks," the agency said.
A hookah is a bowl connected to a vase of water with a long tube and
mouthpiece. The tobacco sits inside the bowl with a layer of foil and a
hot coal on top. The tobacco is never lit, instead heated by the
charcoal, which smokers say produces a vapor different from smoke.
The hookah, used for centuries in North Africa, the Middle East and
Central and South Asia, has become increasingly popular in the United
States, Europe and Brazil, particularly among college students and young
adults.
WHO says the trend is partly due to "unfounded assumptions" of its
safety, and misleading commercial marketing.
The agency said a person can inhale more than 100 times more smoke in a
hookah session than in a single cigarette. By delivering nicotine, the
water pipe can cause addiction.
"None of the accessories have been demonstrated to reduce smokers'
exposure to toxins or risk of tobacco-related disease and death," WHO
said.
While further research is required, the health body said those exposed to
secondhand hookah smoke appeared to be at risk of the same diseases as
those exposed to cigarettes. WHO warned that hookah smoke could also
increase the risk of adverse effects during pregnancy.
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